Which statement about trends in female workforce representation is correct?

• A. It remained at around 30%.
• B. It increased from about 30% to approximately 47%.
• C. It decreased to 20%.
• D. It reached 60%.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how the share of women in the workforce changes over time. The statement that there has been an increase from about 30% to roughly 47% reflects a clear and meaningful upward trend: a sizable rise (about 17 percentage points) shows more women entering or remaining in the workforce, which is consistent with long-run shifts driven by greater education, policy support, and changing social norms. It captures progress toward gender parity without assuming we’ve already reached it.

The other possibilities describe no change, a decline, or an unusually high share that isn’t typically supported by many datasets, making them less consistent with observed trends.